A self-administered moxibustion-cum-massage intervention for older adults with chronic pain in the community: A randomized controlled trial

To determine the effectiveness of a simple, self-administrable moxibustion-cum-massage intervention for relieving chronic pain and improving psychological well-being for older adults in the community. A randomized controlled trial. Seventy-eight participants with chronic pain were randomly assigned to the intervention and waitlist control groups. Participants received two moxa sticks a day to use the moxibustion-cum-massage procedure with the help of trained volunteers or caregivers for five consecutive days. Participates’ pain level, sleep quality, depression and subjective well-being were measured before the intervention (T0), immediately after the intervention (T1), and one week after the intervention (T2). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant group × time interaction effect in subjective well-being with a medium effect size. Regarding within-group effects in the intervention group at post-intervention (T1), the subjective pain level was significantly reduced with a small effect size, while sleep quality and depression significantly improved with large effect sizes. The control group showed no significant within-group effects in these variables. Maintenance effects at follow-up (T2) were not significant. Despite the short intervention timeframe of five days, the study revealed preliminary evidence that the moxibustion-cum-massage intervention can be an effective, self-administrable pain relief regime for older adults. A longer period of intervention time is suggested for future studies. •Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) use in elder Chinese population is rising.•A self-administrable moxibustion-cum-massage intervention can relieve chronic pain.•Sleep quality, depression and well-being can be improved while pain release.